Saturday, March 16, 2013

If you have been following Project 101, you know that often there is some connection between the book I share that the boys have been reading and the book that I have been reading, this week is no different. The connection this week is Maine -- one of my favorite states, not only because of the natural beauty in the state, but also because some of my favorite people/friends live there too!

For the boys, the library book
I am highlighting this week is another book they love to read over and
over and that we keep rechecking from the library: The Circus Ship
by Chris Van Dusen. This fun rhyming book tells the story of a circus
ship that crashes off the coast of Maine and the Isle that the animals
make their way to after the wreck. The animals and islanders end up
discovering they love sharing their Maine Isle together -- and ultimately
they join together to protect the animals from the Circus Master who
comes to find them. There are fun I Spy elements to the book, and it is
great for counting too. Wild Thing loves counting and finding all 15
circus animals in the sea after the crash and hiding in the town later
in the book. Interestingly, the book was inspired by a real event in
which a ship with animals did crash and the rumors of exotic animals
forever after seen in rural parts of Maine.

I am reading The Rhythm of Family: Discovering a Sense of Wonder through the Seasons by Amanda Blake Soule (of SouleMama.com) with Stephen Soule. After reading the introduction, I skipped to the March chapter and have chosen to slowly read this book throughout the year -- slowing down to take the time to discover the sense of wonder and notice the changes that each month brings -- though our seasonal changes here in SoCal are much more subtle than hers in Maine! She shares why slowing down is important:

Wonderful things happen in our family when we choose to move slowly through our days. When we stop running and rushing about, we discover more time, energy, and space for the things most important in our lives. By slowing down, our connections with our children and as a family inherently become deeper, our creativity thrives, and we find meaningful ways to fill our time.

For each month, the book suggests things to make and do. For March, she suggests making a terrarium and noticing animal tracks and other signs of Spring. In general, she reminds me to notice the changes that nature brings -- and this reminds me to take note of the growth and change happening within our family. I encourage you to slow down too -- and savor the moments!

5 comments:

Love and own Rhythm of the Home. Thanks for sharing with us at Eco-Kids Tuesday! Hope you join us again today! http://likemamalikedaughter.blogspot.com/2013/03/flip-trainer-review-at-eco-kids-tuesday.html

It is really neat that you link your books up with a theme! The circus ship is fun, DD said it reminded her of the movie Madagascar but this was better because it was real. Thanks for sharing with the Kid Lit Blog Hop!

We love "The Circus Ship" SO much. We have read it so many times, and it never gets old. I'm glad to find someone else who loves it as much as we do! I reviewed it here: http://sunlitpages.blogspot.com/2012/05/even-more-favorite-books.html

The book you're reading looks fabulous as well. I think it would really help me appreciate the seasons more. I'm going to put it on my to-read list.